whole soul rose with loathing at the
thought of telling the truth to one so frozen and unsympathetic.
Moreover there was not only himself to be considered, but Sabina. What
chance would she have of ever winning Daniel to acknowledge and respect
her if the facts came to his ears?

Raymond thought himself into a tangle and found a spirit of great
depression settling upon him. But, at last, he decided to sleep on the
situation. He did not go home, but turned his steps to 'The Tiger,' ate
his luncheon and drank heartily with it.

Then he went to see a boxer, who was training with Mr. Gurd, and
presently when Neddy Motyer appeared, he turned into the billiard room
and there killed some hours before the time of the smoking concert.

He imbibed the intensely male atmosphere of 'The Tiger' with a good deal
of satisfaction; but surging up into the forefront of his mind came
every moment the truth concerning himself and his future. It made him
bitter. For some reason he could not guess, he found himself playing
billiards very much above his form. Neddy was full of admiration.

"By Jove, you've come on thirty in a hundred," he said. "If you only
gave a fair amount of time to it, you'd soon beat anybody here but
Waldron."

"My sporting days are practically over," answered Raymond. "I've got to
face real life now, and as soon as you begin to do that, you find sport
sinks under the horizon a bit. I thought I should miss it a lot, but I
shan't."

"If anybody else said that, I should think it was the fox who had lost
his brush talking," replied Neddy; "but I suppose you mean it. Only
you'll find, if you chuck sport, you'll soon be no good. Even as it is,
going into the works has put you back a lot. I doubt if you could do a
hundred in eleven seconds now."

"There are more important things than doing a hundred in eleven
seconds--or even time, either, for that matter."

"You won't chuck football, anyway? You'll be fast enough for outside
right for year's yet if you watch yourself."

"Damned easy to say 'watch yourself.' Yes, I shall play footer a bit
longer if they want me, I suppose."

Arthur Waldron dropped in a few minutes later.

He was glad to see Raymond.

"Good," he said. "I thought you were putting in a blameless evening with
your people."

"No, I'm putting in a blameless evening here."

"He's playing enormous billiards, Waldron," declared Motyer. "I suppose
you've been keeping him at it. He's come on miles."